Film of interview with Billy Draper, 1 of 11

Alternative title

Oral history of Billy Draper

Story

Billy Draper (aged 101), of Haslinton, interviewed September 1996 by Grant Smith, recorded on VHS video.
Draper was a private in 19th Company RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps), a unit known as “The Whalley Pals”. He recalls there were 600 of us, and we were part of the Boys Brigade, the scouts, the Church Lads Brigade. They were sent to Blackburn and Aldershot to train with R.A.M.C. before going to France. Draper was a bugler. 300 returned out of the 600 who joined in the First World War. They had annual reunions until just 3 were left. After the war Draper worked in stores in Kirkham. Grant met Draper, through someone who was repairing his talking book machine. On the film Grant has added music, and his voice can be heard in the interview with Billy Draper. Draper died in 1997, he fell while going out for some milk, and broke his leg. He suffered pneumonia and died. Billy Draper left Grant his memorabilia.
10.45 mins duration, chapter 1 of 11: “Billy Draper recently celebrated his 100th birthday”. Includes: Church Lads Brigade / 1918 kept in the army in case of operations in Russia / 1914-1915 the Kings Royal Rifles, and service in Second World War / the stores and quartermasters of the Americans (“Yanks”) / as a bugler “Last Post”, “Reveille”, “Fall In”, “Officers”, “Sergeants’ Mess” and other ‘calls’, ‘sounds’ and music.